by WW » Tue Oct 02, 2012 12:08 pm
Drop-for-drop, the venom is about as lethal to mice as that of a western diamondback rattlesnake. Of course the FWC has vastly less venom available, and no tubular fangs to inject it with, so it is vastly less dangerous.
That said, there are a number of cases on record where FWC bites have caused very substantial swelling and bruising of an entire arm. However, most bites do not cause this severity of symptoms (I have been bitten twice by half-grown specimens without any symptoms whatsoever). There are undocumented rumours on the web of worse outcomes, and there is a rather odd published report claiming repeated episodes of short-lived paralysis in the hours following a bite. It is very difficult to figure out how this might have been caused by envenoming by this species, so I tend to ignore that risk. So, in a nutshell, definitely a species whose bites you want to avoid (so do treat it as a hot), but the chances of it ending up in ICU are pretty negligible. Think of it as night adder lite.
FWCs are generally easy to keep, low maintenance, but with a size and feeding response that will keep you on your toes. If you have experience of less-than-docile boids/pythons, then you will be fine with a FWC. If not, find a large and seriously p***ed-off mole snake to play with and see how you get on. FWCs will definitely make a good first hot, particularly if your eventual thoughts are towards the large, fast end of the venomous spectrum, e.g., cobras etc.
patience n. the vice of accepting the unacceptable, thereby encouraging further occurrences